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Calgary to host the 2018-2019 FINA Diving Grand Prix

DIVING CANADA ANNOUNCES CALGARY AS THE NEW HOST OF THE 2018 AND 2019 FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX

Calgary, December 5th, 2017 – Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) is pleased to announce the signing of a two-year agreement formalizing the Repsol Sport Centre in Calgary as the venue for the FINA Diving Grand Prix – Canada Cup in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, the event will take place May 10-13 and is expected to attract around 125 divers from 15+ countries.

“We are excited to be bringing a world-class event to the Repsol Sport Centre and have the chance to showcase our spectacular sport in a dramatic international setting to Calgarians for the next two years,” says Penny Joyce, Chief Operating Officer for DPC. “Calgary has been a prolific contributor to the success of Canadian diving over the years with the likes of Olympic medallist Blythe Hartley and world champion Eryn Bulmer. Recently, the city has been producing some of the top junior divers in the country and they will, no doubt, be inspired by the top international divers coming to their city.”

Calgary’s own Caeli McKay, a 2017 World Championships team member and a 2016 senior national champion who is living and training in Montreal, as well as three-time Olympic medalist Meaghan Benfeito made the trip to Alberta to team-up with top local divers Tatiana Conn, Margo Erlam and Martine Erlam of Dive Calgary to take part in the announcement and offer up a ''diving 101 lesson for local media''.

“We can’t wait to show off the power, the grace and the acrobatics of our sport in this showcase event,” says Meaghan Benfeito. “Competing alongside my new 10m synchro partner Caeli McKay in her hometown is going to be very special.”

The Canada Cup was formerly held in Gatineau, Quebec, from 2013 to 2017. As in previous years, fans from across the country will be able to follow the action on Radio-Canada, CBC and RDS. This FINA Diving Grand Prix will also be broadcasted/streamed to an international audience, reaching upwards to 15+ countries and 40+ million viewers.

“We’re very excited to host the 2018 and 2019 FINA Diving Grand Prix for the first time in Calgary,” says Cindy Ady, CEO of Tourism Calgary. “Calgary has a long and proud history of hosting world-class sporting events that promote active lifestyles while contributing to the economy and the promotion of Calgary as a destination. The FINA Diving Grand Prix events will be a great opportunity to showcase Calgary’s sport infrastructure. We extend a very warm welcome to Diving Canada's athletes, coaches, judges and fans to our city."

The Calgary leg of this sporting event is supported by the City of Calgary, Tourism Calgary, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada. It is expected to generate a significant social and economic impact for the Calgary community, as well as an important sports legacy for the local club, Dive Calgary.

About the 2018 FINA Diving Grand Prix

Each year, the FINA Diving Grand Prix invites top divers from around the world to compete for medals and world ranking points in a circuit of four-day meets. The intent is to provide the international diving elite with a high-level competition that takes place in countries or locations that have a strong tradition in the sport. The Grand Prix competition program includes women's and men's 3m springboard, 10m platform, 3m springboard synchro and 10m platform synchro.

Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world’s governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world.